Chestatee Fall League Week 1

Chestatee Fall League Week 1 Recap

SCHEDULE
STANDINGS
STATS

Lanier 39, Chestatee 21

Without All-State guard Riley Black, Chestatee (0-1) struggled to handle the aggressive physical on-ball defense of Lanier (1-0). Freshman Nalani Gainey set the tone with her quickness, compiling 11 points, 1 assist and 9 steals. Gainey has great speed in transition, hard to catch in the open floor. She sank a three, but scored her other four buckets on fastbreaks. Gainey will need to develop a left hand, but her sparkplug play will pay dividends Day 1 at the varsity level. Another new face, Asja Howell provided a major lift on both ends. The Duluth transfer has length and athleticism on the perimeter. She plays 1-3 and is a quality slasher that will finish through contact. She recorded 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Undersized post presence Amani Salters did nice work on the interior, using her strength to position herself for rebounds. She tallied 8 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block. Ajanae Jones provided her trademark toughness, one of the better rebounding guards in the area posting 6 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Chestatee was led by 5 points apiece out of sophomore guards Addison Boyd and Caroline Bull. Payton Cable, a third sophomore, brought a jolt of energy in the second half with a bucket, a pair of assists, a block and a charge during an impressive stretch. Cable drew three charges on the day.

TOP PERFORMERS

LANIER
2026 5-3 PG Nalani Gainey – 11 points, 1 assist, 9 steals
2024 5-9 G Asja Howell – 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
2023 5-7 PF Amani Salters – 8 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block
2023 5-5 G Ajanae Jones – 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals

CHESTATEE
2025 5-5 PG Addison Boyd – 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
2025 5-4 G Caroline Bull – 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
2025 5-9 F Payton Cable – 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block


Walnut Grove 42, Dawson County 35

In what was a competitive game throughout, Walnut Grove (1-0) rode sophomore Teaira Kelley to the finish line. Kelley hung 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 1 block, scoring 11 points in the second half. Listed at 5-foot-7, Kelley is an undersized forward that does a bulk of her damage in the paint. What she lacks in height, she makes up for with her overpowering strength and burst of athleticism. Teaira does a great job defending larger posts, using her quickness to knock away entry passes and explode down the floor for coast-to-coast layups. She does a great job finishing through fouls, squaring her shoulders while powering up. Cameria Reed was active at the top of the 2-2-1 press, finishing with 7 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Reed is a strong compact guard that plays with energy and sees the floor extremely well. Dorothy Nealin contributed a pair of threes while Niera Ovalles added 6 points. Dawson County (0-1) was without starting guards Kirklyn Porter and Abby Samples-Slaton, moving EmmaGrace McCarron into a bigger role. The senior responded with 5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. McCarron hustled throughout the game, crashing in for rebounds and seemingly always involved in 50/50 balls. Morgan Chester and Anna Ayers led Dawson County with 7 points apiece from the forward positions. Heather Burt was impressive on the low block, the 5-foot-11 junior showcasing nimble feet and a high skill level. Burt was able to use her size around the rim to protect her shots from being blocked and did a great job finishing with her left hand and running the floor.

TOP PERFORMERS

WALNUT GROVE
2025 5-7 F Teaira Kelley – 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block
2024 5-9 W Dorothy Nealin – 8 points, 1 rebound
2024 5-5 PG Cameria Reed – 7 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals
2024 5-9 G Niera Ovalles – 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

DAWSON COUNTY
2024 5-11 F Morgan Chester – 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks
2024 5-6 W Anna Ayers – 7 points, 1 assist, 2 steals
2023 5-5 G EmmaGrace McCarron – 5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
2024 5-11 C Heather Burt – 6 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Union County 36, Fannin County 35 2OT

Union County (1-0) rallied from behind to win a thriller over Fannin County (0-1) in sudden death double overtime. The Panthers trailed the entirety of regulation but never let the Rebels pull too far ahead. Courtney Davis opened up hot, finishing with three three-pointers en route to 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block to pace Fannin County, but Union County enjoyed a breakout performance from sophomore Ariel McCarter to keep them afloat. McCarter netted nine of her game-high 15 points in the second half to lead the charge while also collecting 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals. McCarter handled the primary ball handling role down the stretch and shot the ball with confidence, hitting three jumpers and scoring on a pair of drives. With Fannin County up 32-30 with roughly 25 seconds to play, Union County forced a turnover off a deflection on an inbound to set up a subsequent Kamryn Mull And-1 cut to knot the game up at 32. Mull missed the free throw however, sending the game to overtime. The Panthers held a 35-34 lead with 13.7 seconds to play in the extra period, but Davis was fouled on a drive with 3.4 remaining. She would miss the first free throw, but coolly sink the second to force a final sudden death stanza. After Fannin missed the front end of a one-and-one, Lara Turner was fouled. The junior missed her first free throw, but netted the second to clinch the win. Turner, at 5-foot-11, has the physical tools to develop into a nice prospect. She has strong shoulders, very good length and is a fluid athlete that can attack both on the perimeter and in the paint. Lara holds serious value defensively and is a sneaky good passer.

 

TOP PERFORMERS

UNION COUNTY
2025 5-9 G Ariel McCarter – 15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
2025 5-8 G Katelyn Brown – 7 points, 4 rebounds
2024 5-11 F Lara Turner – 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block

FANNIN COUNTY
2024 5-5 PG Courtney Davis – 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
2023 5-8 W Ellie Cook – 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
2023 5-10 F Ava Queen – 4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals

South Forsyth 76, Jefferson 21

Filling in for East Forsyth, South Forsyth (1-0) made the most out of their only appearance of the Fall League, overmatching a young, shorthanded Jefferson (0-1). The War Eagles drained nine threes led by Clara Morris’ four. The veteran group saw Sharon Tolliver explode for 26 points, nailing three threes and adding 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Junior Jadyn Kniceley continued her sterling offseason, piling in 23 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals, crashing the glass and slashing her way to points. The straw that stirred the drink was senior Maggie Thompson. While her teammates often get the credit for scoring, with Ava McGlockton absent due to volleyball, Thompson paced the five-guard lineup, orchestrating the well-oiled machine with her savvy facilitating. Thompson notched the first double-double of the season and first in Chestatee Fall League history with 6 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists and 12 steals. Maggie pounces on lazy passes and moves her feet very well laterally, as she is capable of staying in front without using her hands. When she does put her paws out, Thompson swipes away steals and will push in transition before jump stopping off two feet and delivering on-the-money bounce pass assists to her streaking teammates. Thompson is a true point guard, unselfishly looking to set up her teammates more often than find her own points, excelling at making pocket passes in tight quarters. For Jefferson, sophomore Delaney Dewitt was a nice bright spot as the Dragons were without two potential starters in Skyler Brady and Anni Aldridge. She’s got a well-put together frame and can use her strength to attack defenses in different ways. She netted a pair of threes and had two nice takes downhill. Dewitt likes to stick her nose in and rebound and does a good job challenging shots. She tallied 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks. 5-foot-10 center Eve Knight showed flashes in the post, scoring 6 points, grabbing 3 rebounds and blocking two shots.

TOP PERFORMERS

SOUTH FORSYTH
2023 5-7 CG Sharon Tolliver – 26 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
2024 5-9 W Jadyn Kniceley – 23 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
2023 5-8 SG Clara Morris – 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
2023 5-5 PG Maggie Thompson – 6 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, 12 steals

JEFFERSON
2025 5-7 G Delaney Dewitt – 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks
2025 5-10 C Eve Knight – 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks
2025 5-4 PG Emeri Billings – 2 points, 3 assists

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